Thermo-electric battery.



Patented Oct. 23, 1990;

J. OLIVER THERMO ELECTBRC BATTERY.

(Apphcatum filed n. a, 1900.;

(mi Madel.)

UNITED STATES JEssE OLIVER, F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, nssicsonfro'rnotms B.T RLEY PATENT OFFICE.

AND. WEST J. CRAWFORD, TRUSTEES, 0F SAME PLAGE.

THERMQ-ELECTRIO BATTERY., A. 1;

srnoxnoanon forming part of Letters new no. 660,805,1iated October28,1900;

Application in February a. 1900. Serial in. sale.- m model) Toall whomit may concern.- Be it known that I, JEssE OLIVER, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State ofTennes- 5 see, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inThermo-Eleetric Batteries; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying x0 drawings, forming a part of this specification, andto the le'tters of reference marked thereon. This invention relates toimprovements in electric generators in which the current is generated byvariations in the temperature. of thermo-electric couples and usually bythe action of heat from a burner upon one'portion of such couples, whilethe other portion of sluch couples is left or kept comparatively Theobjects of the invention are to provide a simple and highly-efiieientthermo-battery embodying materials and withthe elements assembled insuchrelation to each other and to the battery as a whole as to given. higherefficiency than has heretofore been obtained with the expenditure of agiven amount of fuel; and the invention consists, primarily, in thearrangement of the couples whereby selfinduction is eliminated and thedifference in potential between thecouples is greatly increased. I

Further, the invention consists in a novel alloy constituting one of theelements of the couples and in a novel manner of uniting the positiveand negative elements constituting the couples.

Referring to the accmnpanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectionthrough a therrno-electric battery composed of a few super- 0 posedrings embodying my present improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 are detailenlarged planviews looking at opposite sides of one'of the rings. Fig. 4is an enlarged transverse section through one of the rings. Fig. 5 is adetail sect-ion through one of the couples taken horizontally to sho ythe mannerof uniting the ends of the positive and negative elements.Like letters of reference in the several figurea indicatethesame parts.

The positive and negative elements of the couples in my improved batteryare formed one of an alloy and relatively large in crosssection and theother of a metal or analloy which is relatively a better conductor thanthe other element of the couple and relatively small in cross-sectionalarea. The larger ele-- meut or that before referred to as an alloy Ishall designate herein as the positive cle ment and the latteror'relativeiy-smaller elewent as the negative element, although it willbe understood thatthis is a matter of designation only, as underdiiiering conditions the direction of the current through'the batterymay be different. The alley or positive element in my battery ispreferably com posed of aluminium, antimony, and zinc, and the preferredproportions are, approximately, antimony,- two parts; zinc,.one part, byweight, and aluminium, two per cent. These positive elements are, tosecure the inust'eeenomical 'resnlts, preferably radially grouped arounda center in annular or ring form, and each is preferably, therefore,made segments! in shape and with the'smaller ends all project- ,75

ing toward the dental. These elements are designated by the letter A inthe accompanying drawings, and the opposing or negative elements by theletter B. These negative elements, as shown, are made of a plu-- ralityof strands of iron or steel wire, whi h are united to. thepositiveelements by having their ends cast directly in the ends oftheadjaeent positive elements. Thus in forminga ring the wire or negativeelements are set up in the mold with their ends 11 in position to havethe positive elements cast about them. The body portions of the positiveand negative elements are in ditierentplanes, and the resultant ringwill therefore be, in effect, spirally arranged, and one side of eachspiral or con volution will be formed by a negativeand the opposite sideby a positive element. This manner of forming the.battery is incontradistinct-ion to the usual zigzag arrangement .of the elements,wherein the positive and negative elements alternate in the same plane,and the object of the new arrangement, in addition to facilitating themanufacture, is to eliminate as far as possible self-ind notion, mewhich in a large measure reduces the efiicieney of the battery, To stillfurther provent the elfect of induction between LllOPOSl- -'tive andnegative elements, I arrange a metallic (preferably magnetic) screenbetween them, such ficneen taking the form of a fiat laminated iron ormetal ring C, \vfhich lies between the pos e and negative elements andis insulated from lmtll by suitable refractory insulation-such. forinstance, as sheets of asbestos or mica D, although other-insulatingmaterial maybe employed where found desirable or ad vauiagcous'.

Each of the positive elements has interposed between is and the nextelement a sheet or body or insulation F, preferably also of asbestos ormica; butthesmalleror negative elements being so widely separated may besimply covered by an insulating materialsuch, for ins-am, as theasbestos ring G,

. which \villserve not onlyto insulate the ele'-' merits, but will alsoanswer as a spacer for distancing the adjacent rings. This spacerpreferably occupies or covers only a portion of the negativeelementsnearest their inner ends, leaving the outer ends thereof exposedfor the radiation of heat and which radiation '-may be heightned by thecirculation of water or by the application of moisture, which by itsevaporation will reduce the temperature at thi's'point.

In the most complete and highly-efiicient embodimentof the inventionthe'smaller or negative elements are extended beyond the alloy elements,so as to receive agreater pro portiomof beat, this being best secured byforming inwardly-extending reverse bonds or loops b in the elements,which are adapted for direct contact with the airor heated prodnets ofcombustion, while the alley or positive elements have their inner endsprotected by an insulating ring I of refractory material, such asasbestcs or the like. This ring of asbestos or insulating material I mayalso contain a shield in the form ofa metal ring K, which will in ameasure still further prevent the effect of induction between theelements and also serve as a form about which the ele merits may begrouped in regular order.

1 Obviouslyauy number of rings formed as above may be stacked one uponthe 0lh0'13 88 is usual in this class of battery, and they may becoupled either in multiple or in series, as ocoasiondemandsior whichpurpose the takeoff wires extend out from the first and last elements ofthe ring into convenient position 'for the application of suitableconductors leadingeither to the adjacent rings or to mains from whichthe current is carried tothe point of v utilization- The. practicaldevelopment of the thermobat'tery herein described has demonstrated thatthe efficiency of the battery is greatly reduced unless there be aperfect electrical contactpetweeu the. positive and negative eleiuents,which-electrical contacttnust not be varied by the temperature to whichthe battery is subjected, aud'I have found that this contact can best besecured, particularly in connection with negative elements of iron orsteel, bycoating the ends of the latter \vith a soldering'alloy whichwill intimately com bine with the alloy of the positive elements. I havefound that an efficient solder for this purpose may be composed ofbismuth, tin, lead, and aluminium, the preferred prop rtions beingtin,'two parts; bismuth and lead, one part each, and aluminiumone-fourth of one part. The ends of the negative elements are firstthoroughly coated with this solder and the positive elements then castaboutsuch ends, the ends themselves being bentso as to extendtransversely of the positive ele-' ru'euts, as shown clearly in Fig. 5of the drawlugs, to give greater contacting surface. I Obviously thesize of the rings and couples employed is immaterial and may be variedin accordance with the desired capacity of the battery or the availableburner or heater; but I,. have found that when arranged .as abovedescribed the battery is highly efficient and gives both very highvoltage and amperage results. Thus with a ring composed of thirt couplesand five inches and a quarter in db ameter and one-half inch inthickness :1. voltags of not less than one and eighttenths volts and twoampercs may be secured \vithout'using artificial means to cool the outerends of the couples and with a simple small vap'o burner for heatingtheir inner ends. While I halvedescribed my battery with the elementsarranged in annular or ring form and with the heat applied at 'thecenter-, yet it is obvious that many'feat-ures of the inven; tionareapplicable to any of the ordinaryarra ngements of thermo-batteries, andin some instances it may be found desirable to'apply the heat at theouter ends while acoolin'g" medium is circulated through the center, ashas heretofore been proposed.

.Heving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters .1 10 Patent, is- 1. A thermo-eleotric batteryhavin'gtheelements extending substantially radially and with thepositive elements located in oueplaue and the negative elements in adifl'ereut but u;

substantially parallel plane; substantially as described. o 1

7 2. A theme-electric battery embodying couplesof positive and negativeelements and a metallic screen iute psed between the ele- 'no ments,substantially as'deecribed.

3. A thermoelectriobattery embodying couples of'positive and negativeelements and an insulated metallic screen arranged be tween-the elementsto overcome the effects of 1:5 induction betweentheelements,substantially as described. 1

4. A thermo-electric batteryhaving a series of positive elements locatedin one lane and aseriesof negative elements in u did rentand :30parallel plane and a metallic screen insulated from and located betweenthe positive and negative elements,substantiall y a'sdescribcd.

of radially-arranged alloy elements of relatively large cross-sectionalarea and insulated y from each other and a series of elements ofon,-positepolaritytherefrom one connecting each described.

adjacent pair of alloy elements, all of the elements of one polaritybeing located in one plane and all of the elements ofopposite polarityin a different-plane, substantially as 0. A thermo-electric batteryembodying a series of elements of relatively largecross-sectional areaand a pluralltyof independent elements of opposite polarity therefromconnecting the adjacent elements first mentioned,tlie arrangement beingsuch that the elements of large cross-sectional area are connected by aA number of independently-acting elements of opposite polarity eachserving in its individual capacity independently of the others and oneof which might be severed without destroying the operativeness of thebattery; substantially as described; l l

7. A thermo-electric battery embodying a series of elements ofrelatively large cross-sectional area and a plurality ofparallelelements of opposite polarity therefrom each relatively small incross-sectional area connecting the adjacent elements first mentioned,substantially as described.

8. In a thermoelectric battery the combiarranged radially but arrangedin a plane nation with a series-of elements of relatively largecross-sectional area arrangedin a single v plane, of a series ofelements of opposite polarity arranged in a different plane therefromwith their ends connected with. the ends of the 35 -former and havingbends or loops extending beyond the ends of as described. 1

9. A thermo-electric battery embodying a series of radially-arrangedpositive elements of relatively large cross-sectional area arthe former,substantially ranged in compact form and each insulated from the other,a series of negative elements of relatively small cross-sectional areaalso tially as described;

10. In a thermoelectric battery an element composed of an alloy ofantimony, zinc and 55 aluminium; substantially as described.

JESSE OLIVER.

Witnesses:

' ALEXANDER S. S'rswm,

J. I Psv'rmw, Jr;

